Author Archive

A good story surprises us

Posted by  Shawn Callahan —September 19, 2023
Filed in Business storytelling, Communication

I can think of nothing that an audience won’t understand. The only problem is to interest them; once they are interested they understand anything in …

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Stories to tell to support the ‘Yes’ vote

Posted by  Shawn Callahan —September 1, 2023
Filed in Uncategorized

Stories help people change their minds because it is a pull rather than a push strategy in communication. When you share your opinion, you are …

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When to use a story to structure an entire presentation

Stories elevate business presentations, making them memorable and impactful. Drawing from Kahneman’s insights, stories influence decision-making by engaging our “remembering self.” Whether structuring a presentation entirely as a narrative or sprinkling stories throughout, storytelling enhances understandability, emotion, and memorability. As businesses present data, products, or proposals, the power of stories remains undeniable. Harness it wisely.

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Stories beget stories

Posted by  Shawn Callahan —July 27, 2023
Filed in Business storytelling

I walk with Darren on Sunday mornings. He’s in Sydney, and I’m in Melbourne. We pop in our headphones and have a 90-minute walk and …

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Understanding why people really quit

Posted by  Shawn Callahan —July 20, 2023
Filed in Communication, Employee Engagement, Strategy

Lately, I’ve been teaching people data storytelling. One of the common issues people want to tackle with data stories is the rise in resignations. Interestingly, …

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Building Belief in your Strategy

Posted by  Shawn Callahan —July 13, 2023
Filed in Business storytelling, Communication, Strategy

A strategy your people can’t believe will fail. So how does one craft and share a believable strategy? First, people want to know the company’s …

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Learning by Immersion: Lessons from Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney is famous for not being able to read or write music. So what can we learn about mastering storytelling from how he acquired his musical prowess?

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A company story is more than a single story

Posted by  Shawn Callahan —September 12, 2022
Filed in Business storytelling, Corporate Storytelling, Strategy

A company is defined by its stories. Shawn explains what every business needs to consider when crafting a company story.

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Why do we say too much? Advice for the data analyst

Posted by  Shawn Callahan —June 21, 2022
Filed in Business storytelling, Corporate Storytelling, Insight

The deep knowledge of data analysts often works against them. They either tell the audience too much or assume the audience knows what they know.

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Data storytelling: Using number translations to give data meaning

The objective of a number translation is to reframe a number into something decision-makers have personally experienced, something they can feel. In this blog post, Shawn Callahan shares his technique.

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